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One Earth, One Ocean

Jun 8, 2015Christiana Figueres
, José María Figueres
The oceans and the atmosphere are linked in ways that are only just beginning to be fully understood. Like siblings, the sky above us and the waters around us share many similar characteristics – most notably these days, a need to be protected.

NEW YORK – The ocean and the atmosphere are linked in ways that are only just beginning to be fully understood. Like siblings, the sky above us and the waters around us share many characteristics – most notably these days a need to be protected. We are siblings working on a shared agenda to defend both – an agenda that will define the future for many millions of brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, friends, and neighbors, as well as life-forms on the land and in the seas, now and for generations to come.

Fortunately, governments around the world are beginning to understand the challenge, and are expected to deliver – or at least make progress toward – two important agreements this year: a new global treaty to protect marine life in international waters, and a climate-change accord to safeguard the atmosphere. Together with a suite of Sustainable Development Goals, these agreements will serve as crucial road signs indicating the path to be followed by the world’s national economies over the next 15 years and beyond.

The planned accords come amid extraordinary efforts by countries, cities, companies, and citizens to protect the climate and the ocean. Investments in renewable energy are running at well over $250 billion a year, and many countries are spending as much on green forms of energy production as they do on fossil fuels.

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President Figueres,
While I have a 'day-job' as a software developer and consultant (and 39 years experience as such), I have been studying the problem of fossil-fuel carbon emissions (in my spare time ;) since 2005. More recently, I have been monitoring and studying scientific research on environmental changes in the Arctic and Antarctic.

Among the many disturbing trends which appear to be accelerating, particularly in the Arctic, the annual snow-melt from the Greenland ice-pack continues to outstrip the 35-year satellite recorded averages, with the 7th highest level in 2014, following the record setting snow-melts in 2010 and in 2012.

Scientists report that each successive record year has had the effect of darkening the ice-pack, creating a 'feed-back loop' which causes the rate of snow-melt to increase exponentially, over an ever-diminishing period of time.
(http://nsidc.org/greenland-today/2015/01/2014-melt-season-in-review/)

In addition, more and more credible members of the scientific community are raising alarms over the deterioration of the Arctic ice-cap, and increased methane emissions from lake-bottoms and areas of permafrost inside the Arctic circle. There are dozens of recently posted. in-depth documentaries on this subject, featuring highly respected scientists specializing in climate-change & environmental impacts of current weather trends. For example:

Professor Wadhams is by any measure, one of the world's foremost authorities on the Arctic climate, and one of the main points he makes in the above mentioned interview, is that earlier predictions as to the rate of change in the Arctic have proven to be far too conservative.

Speaking as a lay-person, albeit with the benefit of having pored over voluminous written commentaries and dozens of hours of video documentary material on this subject, I agree with Professor Wadhams: it seems we are facing a crisis which could pass a tipping point in the near future, easily by 2020. Given that we are on track pass the 40-billion-ton per year carbon emission milestone this year or next, I believe we need to consider measures which the private-sector could and should take to, at least prevent the further acceleration in the rate of snow-melt in Greenland. One sobering statistic worth keeping in mind: if just 50% of the Greenland ice-pack were to melt and run into the ocean, it would raise global sea-levels by about 10-feet (3-meters). Here's a map showing the level of inundation of the East coast of the United States at 6-meters:

If one considers the assets at risk, and the people who own them, I'm convinced that you and Sir Richard Branson would find some very resourceful people eager to join in an effort to turn the tide back in our favor in the Arctic.

I attempted to find a contact e-mail address at the carbonwarroom.com website, but was unable to find one. I wonder if you could suggest a way to get in touch with you, or someone there in a position to consider measures which might be taken to address this impending crisis?

I can be reached here: ted 'at' cosmozilla.net

Thank you and your sister for the leadership role you are both taking in attempting to preserve this earth for us, and succeeding generations. I think the 'Carbon War Room' is aptly named. To me, we are facing a threat unlike any since 1939, and as generational peers, it's our turn to step up and do what is necessary to preserve our future.
Ted Thomas
Portland, Oregon

Oceans have a future wile Ocean has a huge potential discoveries and scientific advances that can help us solve the economic and social environmental crises of today take sustainability systems since the restoration and prevention in the marine environment Happy Sustainability 2015